Days before the presidential elections in Argentina, the term “caste” took center stage during the election campaign, after being used by presidential candidate Javier Milei as part of his anti-establishment speech. Understand below what he means by this word.
The meteoric rise of Milei — who led the primaries on August 14, with 30.2% of the votes — was accompanied by an anti-system and anti-politics speech, which led him to occupy the place of “political outsider” with his phrase: “ The caste is afraid.”
During an interview with the news channel “La Nación +” on December 11, 2021, Milei defined the caste as “those who are in politics, but are immoral”.
The far-right candidate explained that the caste are those who implement policies that “harm people” and who, to “protect” their own privileges, argue that nothing more can be done.
According to the Royal Spanish Academy, caste is a group of people who tend to remain separated from others due to their race, religion or other considerations. However, Milei refers to other groups when he talks about “the caste”.
For experts, the definition of caste takes on another meaning when taking into account the political context that Argentina lives in, which includes political parties and their leaders.
Milei’s caste is “the political establishment and, above all, the two great political coalitions: Unión por la Patria [do governista Sergio Massa] and the one represented by Patricia Bullrich [Juntos por el Cambio]”, assesses political analyst and former president of the Latin American Association of Political Consultants, Carlos Fara.
In turn, the sociologist and deputy director of Proyección Consultores, Francisco Martinelli, considers that if fragments of Milei’s speech given after his victory in the primary elections are analyzed, “caste refers, mainly, although not exclusively, to to those who created and defend the flags of Peronism [de esquerda]”.
“His definition also includes practically anyone who has been involved in politics until before he became a national deputy, without distinction of color [ou lado] politics”, explains, however, Martinelli.
“I want to thank everyone who joined during 2022 and in this way we managed to build this competitive alternative, which will not only put an end to Kirchnerism, but will also put an end to the parasitic, stupid and useless political caste that exists in this country,” said Milei in his speech after the victory in the primaries.
In relation to this, Martinelli maintains that, when Milei speaks of “ending caste” or “caste is afraid”, he refers to “a threatening provocation against his political opponents, but, at the same time, works to excite his activists and voters, encouraging them and giving hope that he will be elected.
For Diego Barovero, a historian who participated in UCR and Aliança campaigns and is vice-rector of the National College of Buenos Aires, Milei seeks to promote a “separation or divorce” in the relationship between representative and represented.
“He puts himself in the shoes of a fellow citizen. He is one of them, those ‘mocked’ or ‘used’ by that utilitarian and scoundrel ‘political caste’. He does this by taking advantage of the discontent and frustration experienced by large sectors of our society in the face of the crisis. [econômica]”, explains the historian.
Milei involved with the caste
In recent weeks, the leader of the “La Libertad Avanza” party appears associated with an emblematic figure of what he calls caste: trade unionist José Luis Barrionuevo.
The top leader of the gastronomic union confirmed, in numerous statements to journalists, that he will coordinate the inspection operations of Milei’s party in 11 provinces during the presidential elections next Sunday (22).
“Our responsibility is to supervise, I did not ask and will not recommend anyone in your government,” said Barrionuevo in statements to Rádio Miter on October 10 about his role in Milei’s political space. “We want the ballots to be in a dark room, and that’s what we’re going to oversee,” he added.
Because of this connection, Milei’s anti-system and anti-political speech is today questioned by various sectors of society.
The presidential candidate of the Juntos por el Cambio party, Patricia Bullrich, criticized the incorporation of the union leader into Milei’s political space and described him as “chaste”.
Questions also arose from Milei’s own party. Victoria Villarruel, Milei’s vice-president, demonstrated her discontent with the unionist’s arrival in the libertarian space.
She assured that “it is not a character with whom she agrees” and acknowledged that her presence in the party “makes her uncomfortable”.
See also – Analysis: Javier Milei’s plans for the Argentine economy
Term used not only in Argentina
The use of the term caste is not exclusive to Argentina and has proven to be a very useful word for any type of populism, from the extreme left to the extreme right. In Spain, for example, it is widely used on both sides of the political spectrum.
Kike Borba, political communication consultant and director of StarkeLabs, a Buenos Aires company, highlights that caste is a recurring term in Spanish politics since the leader Pablo Iglesias, first of the leftist movement 15M and then with Podemos, used with some “success”. to denounce the perpetuity in power of politicians from both the left and the right.
“The term caste served as symbolism for the creation of a new social cohort. The dichotomy was not posed by the fact of being left or right, nor by the traditional class struggle, but by a distorted, but illustrative concept, between the powerful and the people, the common citizens”, explains Borba.
A few years later, the term was used by the party antagonistic to Podemos and the extreme right: Vox. “Its leader, Santiago Abascal, did not hesitate to use the term in 2019, referring on that occasion to the ‘union caste’, ‘world cultural caste’ or ‘LGTBI caste’, adding meanings to it and equating it with pressure groups or lobbying. groups that sought certain benefits”, says the political communication analyst.
In addition to political ideology, Borba maintains that everyone speaks of caste to refer, in a negative and accusatory tone, to those who benefit in some way at the expense of the rest of society.
*Published by Pedro Jordão, with information from Maria De Los Angeles Raffaele, from CNN Spanish
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
